A ground-breaking Cat Watch scheme launched in Nottingham has dramatically halted the number of stray cats living on the streets.

The pioneering Cats Protection project in Bulwell was the first in the UK and following on from the success it has been rolled out to other parts of the country in a bid to control the nation's stray cat problem.

Cat Watch was launched in the town in September 2016 to tackle the growing problem of unwanted cats living on the streets.

With the public's help the charity has been able to keep tabs on strays. Locals were asked to take photos of strays and upload via an app and Facebook page Bulwell Cat Watch.

After a series of checks to make sure they weren't pets, 104 stray cats were neutered and 51 were rehomed. Seven turned out to be lost and were reunited with their owners.

Cats Protection’s head of neutering Jane Clements said: "Cats which were not suitable to be rehomed to domestic settings were returned to live as community cats. But crucially, as they are now neutered they cannot breed and contribute to the stray cat population.

"Had these cats not been neutered, their numbers would have quickly grown, with one female cat capable of producing up to 18 kittens a year."

The project led to a remarkable reduction in the number of strays on the streets of Bulwell, with no evidence of stray kittens born on the streets for the whole of 2018.

A recent check of online sales also indicates kittens are not being sold in Bulwell in large numbers.

Jane added: “Our Bulwell Cat Watch scheme was the first of its kind ever undertaken in the UK, using a completely new approach.

“Rather than simply offer to neuter cats, we invested heavily in time, resources and energy into working closely with the community. This involved building up a committed group of volunteers, forming close links with partner organisations such as police, housing and education services, and being highly visible both in the area and online.

“After working intensively for over two years, the project is now self-sufficient and we feel confident we can hand the scheme over to the community to run into the future.”

The charity is now looking into rolling out the scheme to other parts of Notts.

To mark the achievement in Bulwell a free celebration afternoon will be held at Ken Martin Leisure Centre on Sunday, May 5 from 1pm-4pm.

Along with children’s activities, a tombola and free refreshments, the event will give cat-loving residents the chance to find out more about getting involved in the project.

To find out more about the Bulwell Cat Watch project, email Bulwellcatwatch@cats.org.uk or find the scheme on Facebook by searching Bulwell Cat Watch.